A look into the online public sphere today: how nobody's become somebody's.

Thursday, 28 February 2013

The Technological Affordance of the Internet: Recognizing the Power of Participation

All technologies have affordances. Anything from guns
to email to blogs are created with a purpose, one which has a powerful
psychological effect on us since it provides us with a behaviour option we previously
lacked. These technological affordances have created a shift in the way
individuals participate in society and, therefore, how society functions as a
whole. Looking at several examples, while using TED as my primary one, I will convey
how the affordance of the Internet has transformed our thinking and provided uswith the recognized ability to have our voices heard in this interconnectedglobal
villageand stimulate change
like never before.

Before delving into how TED
assists in facilitating such change, it is necessary to acknowledge several important
features of the Internet. To begin, we must recognize how ANYONE has the ability
to communicate to the masses today. New technology, specifically social media,
require participation. The “web” or "net" cannot
function without it (hence the name). Whether participation be through Youtube,
blogs, Twitter, Facebook… individuals can communicate to an unlimited audience.
In principle, “‘anyone’ or ‘everyone’” is able to be a journalist today.
There need not be a reliance or sole trust in news media anymore. This is what participatory media
is about. Through engagement in this realm, citizens acquire skills needed to
be a part of what Henry Jenkins’
calls participatory
democracy.

The logic behind this is, with skills
acquired through participatory
media, such as fan culture creations, like Star Wars remakes, people can creatively
speak up and gain attention in social and political arenas. For example, look
at the viral protest mashup,George
Bush Don't Like Black People, produced after hurricane Katrina in an effort
to raise an important political issue relating to race. Similarly, TED,
using the reputation it has built online, utilizes the Internet as a tool to
find “ideas worth spreading” and raise awareness of them. TED talks happen live, but they allget posted on Youtube and their
website, allowing it to reach countless more people. There are an abundance of insightful
voices and messages floating around the Internet; TED acts as a filter for
these.

Clearly, the public
sphereHabermas spoke
of has moved from the coffee house to the computer. The new public sphere (and blogosphere) offers greater
equality since participation is not limited to the bourgeoisie. It embraces a gift
economyin which we , as equal creators, all give our creative or
intellectual work (such as music covers or political views) away for free in
exchange for the work of others. Monetary exchanges are being replaced by
information and entertainment.

So how do these affordances
change the way we think and act? From the aforementioned examples, I would
argue that people actually believe they can make a difference today. They have
the unique ability to be heard free of charge. TED was built on that core idea.
Their purpose being to filter and promote ideas they believe should go viral. Everyday
there are new viral videos or articles, often short lived, such as Kony 2012, but
nonetheless, public attention grabbers. Evidently, the Internet creates a world
of possibility; One in which ordinary people can create and stimulate change. That’s
the technological affordance of the Internet. You don’t need to be the
President, or a movie star to get heard. All you need is the Internet… and
maybe a Youtube account.

Welcome to the new age public
sphere where anything is possible with
participation.